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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25496461">the cat knew them all, and they all knew the cat</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingdifferent/pseuds/somethingdifferent'>somethingdifferent</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>(won't you let me) walk you home from school universe! [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(won't you let me) walk you home from school universe PART TWO, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, POV Rey (Star Wars), outtake between chapter 29 and chapter 30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:54:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25496461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingdifferent/pseuds/somethingdifferent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey is fine.</p>
<p>She's <em>fine.</em></p>
<p>[rey's pov, post ch. 29 of (won't you let me) walk you home from school]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>(won't you let me) walk you home from school universe! [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>277</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the cat knew them all, and they all knew the cat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>fic title from the wonderful children's book "they all saw a cat" by brendan wenzel</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <span class="small">bonus: they all saw a cat</span>
  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rey is fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s <em>fine.</em></span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She manages to make it all the way back to her flat without so much as a hint of tears. Not even a prickle at the corners of her eyes. Not even a lump in the back of her throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s glad about that. Pleased that he mattered to her so little, that she doesn’t shed a single tear about him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It doesn’t even count as a breakup if they were never even dating, after all. And, besides, she’s the one that called it. There’s no reason to cry, so she doesn’t cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tells herself this all the way up the stairs to the second level, as she jerks the key back and forth in the lock until it cooperates, as she walks by Finn and Rose in the kitchenette. Baby rubs himself along her legs as she moves, threading around her ankles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her roommate and his girlfriend are standing by the yellow table (she’s not going to think of what they did on that table, that doesn’t matter now, and she doesn’t care about it; it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>). The smell of coffee, brewing in the machine Rey fixed up from Goodwill, drifts through the flat, warm and bitter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rose notices her first. Calls happily, </span>
  <span>“Hey, girl.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey glances up, her next step landing more heavily on the hardwood than she intended. Rose’s smile is knowing, secretive. The kind of smile that says</span>
  <em>
    <span> I know what </span>
  </em>
  <span>you</span>
  <em>
    <span> were doing last night.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fucking your coworker.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Like you don’t know how poorly that ends.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Idiot.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey absolutely hates it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knows how it looks: still wearing last night’s clothes and hair a complete mess and probably smelling like sweat, like sex—and </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>, what if they can </span>
  <em>
    <span>smell</span>
  </em>
  <span> him on her? His stupid expensive cologne that smells like she doesn’t even know what, just that it’s something warm and dark and masculine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey pushes all of this to the back of her mind. She nods by way of greeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We didn’t hear you come in last night,” Rose says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey feels her own jaw clench at the innuendo laced into the words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finn’s eyes edge into something like concern, and Rey hates that too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you have a date?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey replies flatly, “No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it the guy you’ve been seeing?” Rose clearly isn’t picking up on the strange tension that’s developed as quickly as Finn has. Her voice is still full of excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey’s teeth grind, molars turning to dust. Her voice is clipped, annoyed. “<em>What </em></span>
  <span>guy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The guy you’ve—” The other woman stops suddenly, finally realizing the landmine she’s stumbled upon. “Nevermind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey’s blood rushes to her face. Of course they noticed, she chastises herself, it’s not like she was being exactly subtle, leaving the flat almost every night with the vaguest of excuses. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m going out. I’ll be back later.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re going to brunch,” Finn offers gently, speaking for the first time since she came in. “If you want to come with.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her throat constricts. “No,” she manages after a moment. “I think I need to go sleep some more.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rose’s face falls. Finn just looks at her steadily, his dark eyes bright with concern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, let me know if you need anything,” he says after a long moment. “Anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” she says blandly. “Will do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey goes to her bedroom without another word. Baby doesn’t even follow her, clearly content with being away from her bad energy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe he just doesn’t want to play with you right now, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she imagines telling herself, the way she does with her students.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She listens to Finn and Rose whispering, a soft hush of sound. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She hears the telltale noise of footsteps, a door opening and closing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And they’re gone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her stomach twists.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now alone, that gentle teacher-voice goes on far past what she’d say to any child, growing cruel in its sickening sweetness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice sounds like her father’s secretary. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe if you weren’t such horrible, greedy, demanding little </span>
  </em>
  <span>nobody</span>
  <em>
    <span> he’d like you more.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sways on her feet, eyes fluttering.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why did you even think he’d follow you?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She makes it a few steps before the hollow feeling in the center of her chest becomes unbearable. Her body bends, like a reed in the wind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Did you think he was actually serious about what he said?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Did you really think he’d feel the sa—</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A terrible, wet sound bursts out of her throat. Her vision blurs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” she insists to no one, voice thick with the tears that are now pouring out of her and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates</span>
  </em>
  <span> it, she hates it, she doesn’t even care about him and she ended it and he doesn’t love her and she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine—</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Behind her closed bedroom door, Baby starts to wail. His meows rise in volume and pitch as more and more sobs burst and pour out of her, the sounds pooling around her. He sounds distressed, almost frightened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she can’t leave him like that. Like the way she found him in Chicago, wet and shaking in the cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey struggles to her feet and opens the door, scooping Baby into her arms. He meows again, loud, as he goes up, and immediately pushes his head against her mouth, paws clutching around her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” she soothes, voice watery and thick, “it’s okay, Mama’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baby just meows in reply, and shoves his head into her face again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey carries him to her bed, laying back on the yellow comforter with her cat sitting heavily on her chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her bedroom is safe, at least. They rarely spent any time in her apartment. Ben—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben has never even been in here.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Probably didn’t want to see it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Stupid little no one.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baby meows again, loud in her ear, plaintive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey imagines he’s telling her: </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s not true.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You always take care of me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re important to me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Baby gives a soft wuffling noise, nudging his nose into her cheek. His tongue scratches her as he licks up her skin, as if confirming her strange internal dialogue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You love me,” she says quietly. “Don’t you, Baby?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cat purrs in reply. Nestles deeper into her chest, nearly blocking her air flow as his gratuitous fur smothers her mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay that you’re sad,</span>
  </em>
  <span> the teacher-voice says again, now sounding more like her own. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay to tell people you’re sad.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rey matches her breathing to the rhythm of the animal on her chest. She can feel his little heart, beating behind the thin cage of his ribs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She matches that with her own, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sits there with him until she hears Finn and Rose come back. And then, even longer still. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then, slowly, she gets up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She walks out of her bedroom, her cat in her arms, her eyes red-rimmed and stinging.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finn stands up when she enters the living room, his brow knit together, eyes warm and focused. Beside him, Rose smiles, kind and soft.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi,” Rey croaks, trying to will her voice not to break. And failing. But—she knows her friends won't mind. “I want to tell you what happened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_F0mPq7ec">
    <span class="small">There he, unforeseen, changed in an easy chair and said, "What's that sorrow you bear?" And I could tell him, he understood.</span>
  </a>
</p></blockquote></div></div>
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